Arab-americans Work For Release Of Hostages Briefly

June 17, 1986|The Morning Call

Twenty more petitions from the Lehigh Valley, calling for the release of the five remaining American hostages in Lebanon, will be taken today to the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

Ayoub Jarrouj of South Whitehall Township, national organizer of the ADC, said he will add them to the 63 petitions already delivered from the Lehigh Valley. "That gives us 83 petitions bearing 1,826 signatures," he said last night, adding "The national ADC is receiving signatures at the rate of 1,000 a day."

Although the petition is designed only for Arab-Americans in the United States, Jarrouj noted, many of the nation's churches are requesting them for their members to sign.

Said Samir Nimeh, president of the ADC's Lehigh Valley chapter, "I want to thank everyone who has signed the petition. I urge all American-Arabs to get united and work together on this sacred mission. We want to show the world that Arabs are not a bunch of terrorists, but freedom people and freedom workers."

He added, "I ask that anyone who has not yet signed the petition to do so this week by going to their local Arab market where they are available. We have until the end of the month to wrap it up. When that is done, ADC Chairman James G. Abourezk will head a selected committee to go to Lebanon to negotiate for the release of the hostages."